Indonesia Island Tour Journal

Jimbaran is a fishing village and tourist resort in Bali, Indonesia. Located just at the south of Ngurah Rai International Airport, the beach is cluttered with seafood restaurants and some of the finest luxury hotels in the world. Tourism in Jimbaran has increased rapidly that has boosted local economy, but it suffered by the 2005 Bali bombings where the bomb exploded in one of the restaurants in Jimbaran.

Jimbaran lies on the 'neck' of the southern peninsula in Bali and is widely known for the fresh seafood kiosks that are scattered along the beach. Diners select the live seafood that they wish to eat, and it is immediately prepared, generally grilled over a fire of coconut husks rather than charcoal.

Sit back and simply think of one thing; the most beautiful painting of a sunset dinner-on-the-beach complete with boats slowly gliding along and musicians playing from their souls. Now jump into the painting, you have just arrived at Jimbaran Beach, Bali, Indonesia.


South of the international airport, Jimbaran Beach is safely nestled in between that and Kedonganan Beach to the south. Jimbaran Beach is an extremely tranquil beach and perfectly white. Walking or just sitting and waiting for the sunset are two of the most popular activities to do on this beach. The popularity of Jimbaran Beach has arisen significantly with the appearance of more and more luxury and five-star hotels beachside. Now everyone seems to know about this little once forgotten beach.

The dining spots in Jimbaran Beach are famous for serving delicious sea food with local recipes. Western cuisine is also available in the restaurants. A must is a sunset dinner along one of the many delicious cafes offering the freshest seafood around, lining Jimbaran beach. The breeze from the ocean and the sound of the waves are enhance your total dining experience.

Along the beach there are many opportunities to dine out. Many of the local peoples have opened up various cafes for passersby and tourists. This is very popular because of the enormous selection of seafood that they offer. This, coupled with their special seafood recipes, or even Indonesian recipes mixed with western culture, make for an exquisite dining experience. The fish are supplied by local fishermen who sell their fish pretty much all day long.

With the sunset coming up on Jimbaran Beach you may start to see the sky change beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and red. This is usually when the cafes start to put out their dinner chairs onto the sand overlooking the beach, and all of the action on the beach starts to subside while everything else begins to focus on the cafes.

The locals like to set a romantic mood for the evening so the whip out some fancy candles and musicians begin to play soothing music. It is quite a sight to see. Once the jukungs begin to fill up the coast line is when things start getting really beautiful and picturesque here in Indonesia.

The calmness of the waters makes Jimbaran a perfect place for swimming. Gentle tides, dramatic sunsets, fine seafood restaurants. No water sports available on the beach although some may be arranged with the hotels that provide equipment and boats for snorkeling trips and sea canoe excursions.

Jimbaran Beach –Bali- BEACH INDEX:

• Sand – Soft white sand
• Facilities – Plenty around the hotels and cafes.
• Shade - Several palm trees
• Sports – No water sports available unless arranged by hotels.

The coastal villages of Anturan, Tukad Mungga, Kalibukbuk, Kaliasem and Temukus are along an 8 kilometer stretch of tranquil black sand beach.

Located only four kilometers west of Singaraja, the capital of North Bali, and a ninety-kilometer drive from Denpasar. This resort currently has many restaurants especially those offering seafood, some star hotels, and many good and truly relaxing accommodations

Go to the Location

 

Perama offers transportation all around Bali to all mayor tourist destinations. They use small mini buses without air conditioning and the prices are reasonable. Prices and timetables can be found on their website. 

Bemo’s are the public transport buses. They are extremely cheap, however you need have some patience and Bemo’s can be crowded. They are a challenge for the experienced traveler.

You can hire a car and drive up from the South. Far better, given the relative costs and the roads/driving in Bali, hire a driver and car. You can travel from Kuta in less than 3hrs and from the airport or Sanur in about 2.30hrs. You will travel through (Pura Ulun Danau) Bedugul and could go the pretty way through Munduk if you are not in a hurry. So you could stop to take in the temple, lakes and rice paddies on your trip and make a day of it.


Location


Air Panas/ Banjar Hot Springs — Located west of Lovina, Air Panas is an enchanting hot springs with stone carved mouths gushing water among a lush garden setting. A nominal entrance fee is charged.
Expect to be offered dolphin sighting trips every other minute. These trips leave each morning and have very mixed reviews as the boats tend to outnumber the dolphins, but it can still be an enjoyable ride. Prices are fixed by a dolphin cartel, they are around 50.000 (4 euro)
Snorkeling and scuba diving trips leave from Kalibukbuk for Deer Island and other north shore dive spots. There are several dive operators based out of Lovina that operate daily dive trips to Menjanan Island, Tulamben and Amed, as well as night dives from the local shore. Spice Diversare based out of Lovina and offer day trips to all of the dive spots on the northern shore. Guides are available in a variety of languages and multi-day discounts are available.
Cockfights are held around lovina. You will see around Lovina many older people training the cocks, just ask them to bring you to a fight.

Spa

Lovina is lucky to have several spa facilities. While a little more low key than the spas to the south, the service is excellent and the prices, being much less than the opulent spas in the south, are an excellent value and well worth it.
Agung's Spa. Offers body scrubs, facials, massage, etc. It is also the nicest spa facility in Lovina, though by Balinese standards it is much smaller and basic than what you would find elsewhere on the island.
Bali Samadhi Spa (Tel. 081 338 558 260) — in Lovina offers a variety of massages. One is called Rebalancing Massage a very nice mixture between therapeutic and well-being massage. Mandi Lulur scrubs are available including the yogurt mask.

Diving

Lovina Dive, Jalan Raya Banyualit, ☎ +628123842415 (info@lovinadive.com), . averages. US$55-$75 per day. edit

For those without diving licenses, one may get liscensed in a matter of a few days of courses in Lovina. The diving enthusiast will probably want to move on to Menjangan Island, Bali's most famous diving site. It is an hour's drive from Lovina where one would then take a 30-minute boat ride onto the island. As part of Bali Barat National Park, Menjangan Island is well known for it's clearest water in the Indonesian archipelago, where you can go diving or snorkeling amongst the coral reefs and fish in the sparkling clear water. Another popular attraction is the dolphin watching. A small traditional boat called, jukung, may be hired form the villagers in the morning to bring us off shore to meet these smart and cute creatures.

Other interesting sites nearby include the Buddhist Vihara in Banjar village, hot springs, and Singsing waterfalls.

Dreamland Beach is a beach located on the Bukit peninsula, on the island of Bali, Indonesia.

The beach provides basic accommodation and cafes for surfers and day trippers. One of the most beautiful beaches on the island, it is also renowned for its dangerous shorebreak.

It is the site of the failed Pecatu Graha development, planned by Tommy Suharto, the corrupt youngest son of the former president Suharto.

As of 2008 this is an active building site with all the previous Warongs having been levelled for a hotel complex.

Dreamland is on the south side of Bali, about 30 to 40 minutes from Kuta. There are 2 alternative ways to go to Dreamland. You can either go through the Jimbaran Bay area or pass through the Dwipayana University (a well-known public university in Bali); both ways are easy to follow. If you do get lost, ask for directions to Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK). It’s a famous cultural park located in Bukit Unggasan, Jimbaran. Here you can find a 75 meter-high and 60-meter wide figure of god Visnu, one of the Trimurti symbols in Hinduism. The status is made by I Nyoman Nuarta, and is now still unfinished. When it is done, it will be taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York!

About 15 minutes from GWK, you will find a big statue of Garuda (the symbol of Indonesia), on the right side of the road. That means you’re just a stone throw’s away from Dreamland Beach. Dreamland Beach is located on a big-deserted property, a failed Pecatu Graha development. You will probably have to pay about Rp 5000 for the entry. When you get to the end of the road, you will be on top of a cliff, with the big blue ocean’s sky in front of you. Look down! That’s Dreamland Beach


You have to walk a little then down a path of stairs to reach the beach.. Once on the sand, you will find rented umbrellas and beach benches facing the beach. You can also order food and drinks from the local traditional cafés available all around the beach. The cafes might seem common and usual, but many of them actually serve European dishes which is out of the ordinary for this setting. Planning to spend the night? Some of the local cafes offer humble accommodations at a reasonable price (ranged between Rp 50,000 to Rp 200,000 per night). In the evening, enjoy the sunset whilst several tourists build a campfire on the beach, or just play a light game of beach ball. As for me, I prefer swimming offshore and enjoy the sunset from there.

There are not many activities to be done here at night. The electricity is turned off after 10 pm and thus candles are lit to chase away the deep darkness of the night. After having dinner, the best thing you can do is to read a book or have a draft of cold beer. Otherwise, you can go upstairs to where most of the rooms are and enjoy the scenery. The moon’s reflection dancing in a flurry of lights on the ocean’s surface is simply breathtaking. During the peak season (July and December), some of the rooms on this floor will be more packed so at least you are not alone and will have company to chat with along with your own group of friends. It is always interesting meeting other travelers and sharing experiences. When you finally feel like sleeping, go back to your room and snuggle under the blanket. The lullaby of tides breaking on the shore is such a peaceful sound to sleep to. Being in Dreamland is like being in a dream you wish you will never wake up from.

Bunaken is one of Indonesia's most famous dive/snorkeling areas, and it draws scuba divers & snorkelers from all over the world. In addition to Bunaken itself, a rather featureless banana-shaped island, the National Park includes the neighboring islands of Manado Tua, a distinctive cone-shaped extinct volcano, Siladen, Montehagen, Nain, and Nain Kecil.

Location

Bunaken is about 45-60 minutes by boat from Manado. Most resorts will arrange transfers from the airport for their guests. Alternatively, a public boat leaves daily except Sunday at 2-3PM from the canal on the north side of the market. The cost is 25,000Rp for tourists (7,000Rp for locals). It returns to Manado from the jetty in Bunaken village around 8-8:30AM every morning except Sunday. You can also charter a boat both ways at anytime.

As of September 2008, entry to the park costs either Rp 50,000/day or Rp 150,000/Calendar year. Even though the fee does not seem to be automatically levied upon entrance to the island, it is the responsibility of all visitors to the Park to have one, and most reputable dive shops will supply them. As proof of payment, you will receive a plastic tag that must be carried at all times — it's waterproof and can be attached to your diving gear.

Diving Location

The thing to do in Bunaken is dive, dive and dive! However, the steep walls and occasionally strong, rapidly changing currents mean that many sites cater more to the intermediate/advanced diver, although there are beginner-friendly sites too and all dive shops can arrange intro dives and Open Water Diver courses. The North Sulawesi Watersports Association offers oodles of detail on diving in the park. The park also offers outstanding snorkeling!

All dive shops in the park are affiliated with resorts, so see Sleep below for listings.

The snorkeling is fantastic just in front of many of the resorts that surround the island, with an incredible amount of marine life living in the shallows and also on the outer walls. Remember not to snorkel without fins as the currents can sometimes be strong, and change quickly even when they are not. Pick a reference point on the island and do not stray too far unless you are a confident swimmer.

Tourism on Bunaken has been very much geared towards divers over the years, but the trend seems to be changing and more and more snorkelers are visiting the area as too are those who wish to just relax immersed in nature...away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Possible activities for landlubbers include:

* Beach-combing, especially at low tide when the reef top is accessible
* Hiking to some of the secluded coves on the Eastern and Northern part of the island, but trails are poorly marked
* Fishing, but only outside of the park boundaries: hire a boat or join one of the local fishing boats.
* Dolphin & Whale watching, either while on diving or snorkeling boat trips or by hiring a boat.

The thing to do in Bunaken is dive, dive and dive! However, the steep walls and occasionally strong, rapidly changing currents mean that many sites cater more to the intermediate/advanced diver, although there are beginner-friendly sites too and all dive shops can arrange intro dives and Open Water Diver courses. The North Sulawesi Watersports Association offers oodles of detail on diving in the park. The park also offers outstanding snorkeling!

All dive shops in the park are affiliated with resorts, so see Sleep below for listings.

The snorkeling is fantastic just in front of many of the resorts that surround the island, with an incredible amount of marine life living in the shallows and also on the outer walls. Remember not to snorkel without fins as the currents can sometimes be strong, and change quickly even when they are not. Pick a reference point on the island and do not stray too far unless you are a confident swimmer.

Accomodation

Most people choose to sleep at their dive resorts, almost all of which offer full board and attractive package offers. Those on the south and west sides of Bunaken have a strip of beach (coarse yellow sand), while the east side has a mixture of mangroves and small beaches with better reefs.
[edit] Lodging

* Bastianos Dive Resorts. Will pick up from Manado hotels.

* Bunaken Cha Cha Nature Resort, tel. +62 813 56930370 (Skype: bunakenchacha). On the eastern side of Bunaken; 10 cottages all with en-suite bathrooms (hot water showers), large balconies, all Superior Cottages are equipped with A/C. Private white sand beach, "House Reef" with floating pontoon for snorkelers, Massage treatments available. Restaurant above the beach, Wifi in bar/restaurant, PADI Dive Center. Packages start from US$60 per person/per night ; Accommodation & Dive Packages from US$145 per person/per night.

* Bunaken Village Resort. Located along the Pangalisang beach on the east coast of Bunaken. 8 cottages, restaurant, dive shop, beach bar, and swimming pool around a nicely landscaped small garden. Rooms 20-25€, 2 boat dives 40€. Next door just south of Two Fish Divers.

* Froggies Divers, [www.divefroggies.com]. A high quality dive operator with comfortable bungalows and excellent food.

* Living Colours, tel. +62-812-4306063. Diver-oriented resort run by the shop of the same name, the bungalows are spacious and clean. Rooms 35€/person, including three excellent meals. Lately chosen as " Best resort all around Bunaken" by Lonely Planet Indonesia.

* Lorenso's Bungalows. 5 min down the coast from Living Colours, offering cheaper but more basic bungalows at 125,000- 250,000 Rp. per person, per night

* M.C. Dive Bunaken. Located near the Bunaken Village Has a very nice beach just next to the village and offers relaxed diving. Also offering Padi Dive Courses and Specialty's, Basic cottages 14€, more "luxurious" bungalows: 20€, including all meals, coffee, tea and water. 2 dives 40€, third dive 15€

* Siladen Resort & Spa, tel. +62-431-856820. Small exclusive international resort on Siladen Island across from Bunaken. Multilingual PADI dive center, gourmet restaurant, lounge bar, Spa, large salt water pool. Located on the secluded western side of Siladen on a 300 meter stretch of white coral beach facing Manadotua Vulcano. Only 15 villas. PADI courses and full packages available.

* Two Fish Divers, tel. +62-811-432805. Small and friendly PADI Gold Palm IDC Resort based on Bunaken Island. Cottages are basic but comfortable, and are right in front of the mangroves. The food is reliable, if monotonous. Vegetarians are usually offered fresh grilled fish in place of meat dishes. Offers fun dives for experienced and inexperienced divers, with small groups of 2-4 divers per dive guide. Also offers a full range of PADI dive courses from Open Water Course through to Instructor. Rooms start at 12 Euros per person to 25 Euros per person.

Tulamben is a small town on the north-east coast of Bali. It is a popular dive site in Bali, especially around the wreck of the Liberty Glo, a US Army Transport ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942. It is a very easy wreck dive and may by done by divers of all certificatin levels. It is accessed directly from the shoreline and located about 25 meters from shore. At it deepest point, it is about 30 meters from the surface and it tops out at about 5 meters from the surface.

DESCRIPTION OF TULAMBEN'S DIVE SITES:

Elegant Squat Lobster, Tulamben, Coral Garden Tulamben has become Bali's most famous diving area and therefore where you are most likely to meet internationally recognised underwater photographers and writers. Tulamben Bay, like the rest of Bali, is situated in the richest marine biogeographic zone in the world. Being on the north-east coast, the bay receives very plankton-rich waters from the major ocean current that moves from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. This, coupled with the fact that the three main dive sites provide totally different physical environments, mean that Tulamben contains a stunningly diverse underwater ecosystem.

The beach is fist-sized black volcanic rocks that become sand in the shallows. This black sand does not provide the reflective properties of white limestone sand and, combined with the amount of plankton in the water, accounts for the relatively low visibility (12-25M). It does however provide a dramatic contrast, which brings out the colours of the corals, gorgonians, fish and other marinelife. The 100s of macro-species that live here both blend and contrast beautifully with the sand.

Tulamben is a wonderful place to learn to dive and to learn about underwater life. There are occasional sightings of Mola-Mola (Sunfish), Manta Rays, Whale Shark, tuna and other pelagics but it is the permanent population of Tulamben that brings people here for the 1st and 100th time.


The Coral Garden

Running along the middle section of Tulamben beach is a shallow reef (averaging 8-12m so also excellent for snorkelling) of mainly table and fire corals interspersed with anemones as well as barrel and other sponges. The fishlife, as with the Drop-off and the Wreck, is very diverse. It is here that you can see a surprising number of Blue Ribbon Eels (the juveniles are black) and octopus, the variety of shrimp is surprising too along with the different anemonefish. The bigger fish seen here are Bumphead Parrotfish and Black Tip reef shark.

The depth and location make the Coral Garden a very good, and popular, Night Dive on which you may see Spanish Dancers and flashlight fish.

In fact the diving actually extends much deeper than 12M, if you carry on down the sand slope, you'll find barrel sponges with many surprises: juvenile Emperor Angelfish, Two-spot Lionfish, maybe a school of juvenile catfish; cleaning stations with shrimp and wrasse, a shoal of Razorfish swaying in their hiding place. If you continue along the slope, towards the start of the Drop-off, you'll come to a dry river bed, scooped out into a bowl-shape, marked by ridges radiating outwards. These ridges are often the best places in Tulamben to find unexpected specimens. Although it is certainly not an area for divers looking for a profusion of marinelife!

Location

Situated just off the coast of West Java, Panaitan Island hosts 7 excellent surf spots including the legendary One Palm Point and Apocalypse.

Panaitan is rich of wildlife and now you can surf its world class waves in warm, clear blue water away from crowds.

Panaitan is part of Ujung Kulon national park, which is a United Nations World Heritage site. Our boats have the required government permits to take you to these great waves.

There has been controversy in the surfing community about surfing at Panaitan, particularly about a landbased surfcamp on the island. We offer two types of stay: on a boat or on the nearby island of Peucang which is in use by park rangers. Therefore, we leave Panaitan and the park as we found it.

Want to come along and get the wave of your life?

Trips on offer by us are supported by: Ujung Kulon National park, Javan Rhino Eco Tour and the Panaitan Surfing Club

The Surf

* ONE PALM POINT a shallow reef break open relentless barreling left

* ROC ’ N ROLL along hollow winding left that break into the deep water

* NIGHT PALMS a smoking left

* PUSSY CAT an easy left fun workable walls breaking into deep water

* APOCALYPSE that has been compared to Back Door Pipe

* DAVES Place another Left

* And other unnamed Point break / spot on main land Java Ujung Kulon

The Waves

All Panaitan's waves are within one bay so there’s less time cruising between breaks, more time surfing.

- One Palm Point - long hollow left point that spins out freight train barrels over a shallow reef. This wave has been ridden for up to 800 meters (not a misprint) and has been described as the undisputed best and longest barrel in Indo.

- Napalms - perfect barrelly left unloading over an inner-bay reef. Top-to-bottom pit perfection.

- Pussys - easy left with workable walls breaking in deep water.

- Illusions - epic right reef with workable walls and barrel sections.

- Indicators - wally right breaks on smaller swells.

- Apocalypse - top-to-bottom righthand barrel that’s been compared with Backdoor Pipe. Other secrets...